Masaka — The Masaka Chief Magistrates Court has declared National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Justine Nameere as the duly elected Woman Member of Parliament for Masaka District, overturning an earlier declaration that had handed victory to the National Unity Platform’s Rose Nalubowa.
The ruling followed a court-ordered vote recount after Nameere, who had emerged as the first runner-up in the initial tally, petitioned the court challenging the results announced by the Masaka District Returning Officer.
Delivering the verdict, Masaka Chief Magistrate Albert Asiimwe stated: “I hereby declare Nameere Justine, who has obtained the largest number of votes, as the elected Member of Parliament for Masaka City.”
According to the final recount results, Nameere secured 25,502 votes, defeating Nalubowa, who polled 23,176 votes. Juliet Kakande of the Democratic Front garnered 6,136 votes, while Nanyonga Sauya, an independent candidate, received 5,921 votes.
However, the recount process was marred by controversy after several ballot boxes were reportedly found without security seals. Citing concerns over the integrity of the exercise, Nalubowa and her agents boycotted the recount proceedings at their commencement.
